Just Like Old Times
by QuinnMRoe
Summary: 2D remembers the past, and has to deal with the present. (Reviews are much obliged and appreciated! :))


2D woke up to a dull throbbing headache and an angry, drunken racket coming from downstairs. He rubbed his empty eye sockets and glanced over at the clock. 6:47. Pretty early for Murdoc to be up. _Probably still up from last night, _2D thought to himself. The noise persisted and his head was too sore to go back to sleep, so he got up, popped a few pain killers and put some pants on. But he wasn't quite ready to go downstairs and deal with Muds, so he decided to hang around his room for a while. He opened the curtains quickly, flinching. It was nice for there to be some light in his room, but he had been terrified of windows ever since plastic beach and that bloody whale. He shuddered. Why aren't there more horror movies about whales?

He turned his back to the window, warm sun shining on his back and scanned his messy room. Dirty clothes all over the floor, posters falling off the walls, old photographs cluttering up his night stand. Why did he still have that picture of Paula? He sat down on his unmade bed and sifted through the old photos. There were a few of him sitting slouched in the front of the Winnebago, wearing makeup with a cigarette sticking out of his mouth. Murdoc gave him these pictures after he woke up from his coma. 2D didn't find them amusing, but kept them anyways. There was a picture he had snuck of Russel watching Power Puff Girls by himself. He had no plans for blackmail, it just made him laugh. One picture fell off the nightstand, onto the floor. When he saw what it was, he grinned. It was his favorite photo of Noodle and himself. They were both sitting in there old practice room in Kong studio. 2D was grinning at an eleven year old Noodle, who was playing the melodica.

He remembered the day that picture was taken quite well. Noodle had only moved in with them about a month ago, and spoke almost no English. Such a brave little girl. It was directly after band practice that 2D saw her sitting by herself in the corner of the room, crying. He sat down next to her.

"What's wrong, luv?" He asked her. She looked up at him, uncomprehending and started to cry harder. "You're probably scared of me, huh? Guess I would be too. Bein' all alone is scary."

"K-kowai." Noodle stammered through her tears.

"Cowee?" 2D didn't speak any Japanese, but tried to understand anyways.

Noodle shook her head and pointed at Murdoc who was across the room drinking vodka straight from the bottle, "_Kowai." _

"What, you're scared of old Muds? Don't worry about that old grump, I won't let 'im hurt you." She looked up at him. His words were unintelligible, yet somehow comforting. 2D smiled down at her, then wrenched up his face to do his best impression of Murdoc. "Bloody sodding worthless old git. My nose is more broke than my bank account and that's sayin' somethin', eh face ache?" Noodle wiped her eyes and giggled, recognising the amusing, albeit poorly done impression.

"Hey, wanna see somethin' neat?" 2D asked his new friend. Upon her lack of an answer, he pulled out a melodica. He always carried it with him for just in case. "This is a _melodica_. My favorite type of keyboard, and I've got lots of favorite keyboards." he smiled distantly for a second, fantasizing about all of his favorite keyboards.

_"Melodica?" _Noodle repeated.

"That's right!" he grinned widely, "Now, you're so good at guitar already, you should be able to pick this up easy." He blew into the valve and slowly played the melody from Clint Eastwood. He then passed it over to her. She looked at it inquisitively for a moment, then repeated the song, making only a few minor errors along the way. "Blimey mate, you're gonna put me right outta business." The pair continued to make music together for hours, and never even noticed Russel taking a polaroid for the band photo album he planned on making. (spoilers: he never made it.)

Back in present day, 2D looked at the picture fondly. When Noodle was gone, he used to look at this picture and remind himself that she was still out there somewhere. Now that she was finally home, it was just a pleasant memory. He placed the photo back on his night stand and went downstairs.

"Mornin' Muds." He greeted his satanic housemate. Just as he expected, Murdoc was in the kitchen, drunkenly yelling at no one in particular.

"Who asked you?!" Murdoc turned fiercely and stalked toward 2D, who dodged him and went to open the fridge.

"Asked me what?"

"You're an idiot and an eyesore, ya know that?" He continued, seething.

"Er, yeah mate, I know." 2D was not in the mood to get in a fight, so he grabbed a pop tart from the cupboard and attempted to go back to his room.

Before he could get out of the kitchen, Murdoc grabbed him by his hair and slammed him against the fridge.

"You think you're so special, eh? Special blue haired snowflake, eh?"

"N-no, I'm not special. Just a guy, not special!" 2D tried to cower but his hair was still grasped in Murdoc's hands.

"Then why do ya keep actin' like it, huh? Strutting around and leaving your trash all over the house?" Murdoc was particularly drunk this morning, and was really looking at excuses to get angry. 2D was confused, but before he could think of an answer Murdoc crashed his head against the fridge and dropped him on the cold kitchen linoleum.

He only blacked out for a few seconds, and woke up on the floor with a trickle of blood coming from his nose. Murdoc had already gone back griping incoherently around the house. 2D moaned and rubbed his head. This was not helping his headache. He stumbled to his feet and slowly made his way back to his room, avoiding eye contact with Murdoc as he walked past. Walking up stairs always took so much effort. He had just hurt his head, so why did his whole body hurt?

He sat down on the floor next to his bed and grabbed his pills. He had been trying to lay off them a bit, but they really made him feel better. _Don't cry, _he thought to himself, _I'm not a baby, I don't cry. _When Noodle walked into his room, he had his head cradled in his hands and was mumbling angrily to himself.

"What's wrong big brother?" she asked him affectionately, sitting down next to him. When he looked up at her he still had blood on his face.

"I'm just so sick of him treatin' me like trash." He sniffled hollowly.

"Murdoc is a dick," Noodle said decisively. 2D was surprised to hear little Noodle cursing, even though she _was _over twenty now, which she had to remind him often. "I will be right back." As she left, 2D grabbed his pills again off his night stand, and was struggling with the childproof cap when she returned with her guitar and a box of tissues. "You probably do not need any more of those for now." She said, handing him a tissue. He sighed. She was right, but they made him feel so much better.

"What're you doin' with that?" he asked, gesturing to her guitar, massaging his temples. She smiled at him warmly.

"Watch carefully," She commanded, and slowly began to play the melody from Clint Eastwood. "Now you try." She handed the guitar over to him, and he struggled to pick out the melody, but after a bit of struggle, made it to the end. "Good, good!" she laughed.

"Not really," 2D replied, but with a smile.

"Well, you are already so good at keyboard, you should be able to pick up on this in no time." She nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.

He smiled, and began trying to play guitar again. The two friends sat on the floor of 2D's bedroom for hours making music together. Slowly, he stopped noticing his headache and started feeling warm again, and just for a while, everything was okay.


End file.
